Nash: The Official Biography

In this admiring as-told-to biography, Paley (coauthor with Leah Remini of Troublemaker) describes the life of “social media personality” Grier, who has amassed millions of fans since he began posting on the now-defunct video sharing service Vine. Now in his early 20s, Nash has increased his fan base through YouTube, Facebook, and Snapchat, and has parlayed his fame into a number of film roles; Paley does a serviceable job in describing his rise from his suburban North Carolina upbringing to a fast-paced life in Los Angeles. Paley details how Nash was part of the first wave of online media stars at the first MagCon in 2013—a “meet and greet convention” for fans of “kids with big social media presences”—and follows his career as he maintained a huge digital popularity while branching out to movies, such as The Outfield in 2015. Interspersed with Paley’s story are quotes from Nash, often offering simplistic advice (“You need to figure out who you really are and what your true purpose is”) or reflection (“I still hate the fact that money comes first—and only later creativity and passion”). This upbeat and breezy narrative will resonate most with Nash’s fans, as well as with those hoping to be the next social media sensation. (Nov.)